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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · race · snap · fall · wax · rush · bear · prune

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fall — to drop
  7. snap — to click
  8. fall — the season
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com